Adjusting Device for a Motor Vehicle Seat

ABSTRACT

An adjusting device for a vehicle seat has a sheet metal structure with at least one recess which can be brought into interlocking engagement with a locking element. According to the disclosure, it is provided that the recess is provided with an at least partially encircling bead.

The invention relates to an adjusting device for a vehicle seat which has a sheet metal structure with at least one recess which can be brought into interlocking engagement with a locking element.

PRIOR ART

German Patent Application DE 103 46 147 A1 discloses a generic adjusting device for longitudinal adjustment of a vehicle seat along a rail. It comprises an arrangement of adjusting elements which are arranged in the upper rail of the seat and have extensions in the manner of locks which enter in an alternating manner into interlocking engagement with recesses let into the lower rail and, in the process, undergo a movement component directed along the rail. By this means, the upper rail is displaced steplessly relative to the lower rail upon rotation of eccentrics which drive the adjusting elements. The forces required for this purpose are transmitted by contact of the extensions with the lower rail in the region of the recess, as are forces which occur during operation of the vehicle. Of course, particularly high forces occur in the event of an accident. Even in the event of this, the locking engagement of the extensions in the recesses must not fail.

OBJECT

The invention is based on the object of improving the safety of generic adjusting devices using simple means.

SOLUTION

The object is achieved according to the invention in that the recess is provided with an at least partially encircling bead. Said bead which extends at least in the contact region between locking element and sheet metal structure reduces the surface pressures and the risk of the recess being deformed. This leads to an increase in the forces which can be transmitted by the locking element to the sheet metal structure.

The bead advantageously surrounds the entire circumference of the recess and can extend over both planar sides of the sheet metal structure which is preferably composed of steel. When the recesses are being punched out of the sheet metal structure, the bead can be produced in a particularly simple manner by plastic deformation with a considerable effect if the wall thickness in the region of the bead is 1.1 times to 1.5 times, in particular approximately 1.3 times the wall thickness of those regions of the sheet metal structure which surround the bead, and the width of the bead is 0.25 times to 1.0 times, in particular approximately 0.5 times the wall thickness of those regions of the sheet metal structure which surround the bead.

The recess preferably has an essentially rectangular or oval contour, with the corners of the rectangular recess being provided with generous radii. These designs reduce stress concentrations when the adjusting device is subjected to a load.

The sheet metal structure of the adjusting device particularly advantageously has a linear sequence of recesses with in each case an at least partially encircling bead enabling the vehicle seat to be locked in different positions. Since the distance between the recesses is preferably designed to be small, so as to keep the change in position of the vehicle seat between two adjacent locking positions small, the strength of those regions of the sheet metal structure which connect the recesses obtains particular importance. In order to obtain a particularly uniform design of the beads, it can be provided that each bead of a recess is separated from the bead of the adjacent recess by a region of reduced wall thickness.

The sheet metal structure advantageously constitutes part of a seat rail, in particular a lower rail of the seat, which is suitable for the linear adjustment of a vehicle seat, for example for displacement of the seat in or counter to the direction of travel.

FIGURES

The figures are exemplary representations of schematically different embodiments of the invention.

In the figures:

FIG. 1 shows the perspective view of a lower rail of a vehicle seat that is designed according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the lower rail according to FIG. 1 with the locking element in engagement,

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a recess according to a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 4 shows the plan view of a differently designed recess,

FIG. 5 shows a section through a tool suitable for producing a sheet metal structure according to the invention.

The lower rail 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is part of an adjusting device 2 for the longitudinal adjustment of a vehicle seat. The adjusting device 2 has a bolt-like locking element 4 which can be displaced in the direction of the arrow 3 and is connected to the upper rail (not shown) of the adjusting device 2. For the adjustable displacement of the upper rail in relation to the lower rail 1, the locking element 4 is brought into a position in which it is not in engagement with the lower rail 1. In order to fix the adjusted seat position, the locking element 4 can be brought into interlocking engagement with one of a plurality of identical recesses 5 which are punched into the sheet metal structure 6 of the lower rail 1 in a linear, equidistant arrangement along the longitudinal axis thereof.

The entire circumference of each recess 5 is surrounded by a bead 7 which extends over both planar sides 8, 8′ of the sheet metal structure 6. The wall thickness D of the sheet metal structure 6 in the region of the bead 7 is approximately 1.3 times the wall thickness d on the other side of the bead 7 while the width b of the bead 7 corresponds approximately to half the wall thickness d.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, the bead 7 may encircle in an essentially constant width b around the contour of a rectangular recess 5. As an alternative, it is conceivable to arrange the bead 7 only partially around the recess; with reference to the example in FIG. 4 of two sickle-shaped bead segments 9, 9′ which reach their greatest width b at those regions of the recess 5 which are subjected to the highest load.

A punching tool suitable for producing adjusting devices 2 according to the invention comprises, as illustrated in FIG. 5, an upper tool 10 and a lower tool 11 which are placed onto a respective planar side 8, 8′ of the flat sheet metal blank 12 of the sheet metal structure 6. Upper and lower tools 10, 11 are equipped with punches 13, 13′ which are movable in the direction of the planar sides 8, 8′ (arrows 14, 14′) and punch the recess 5 out of the sheet metal blank 12. During this operation, material of the sheet metal blank 12 is pressed by plastic deformation into the grooves 15 which surround the punches 13, 13′ and are approximately of the sizes D, b of the bead 7 produced by them. The sheet metal blank 12 which is thereby provided with recesses 5 is subsequently shaped by tilting or rolling to form a rail profile.

DESIGNATIONS

-   1 Lower rail -   2 Adjusting device -   3 Arrow (displacement direction of the locking element) -   4 Locking element -   5 Recess -   6 Sheet metal structure -   7 Bead -   8,8′ Planar sides (of the sheet metal structure) -   9, 9′ Bead segment -   10 Upper tool -   11 Lower tool -   12 Sheet metal blank -   13,13′ Punch -   14,14′ Arrow (displacement direction of the punches) -   15,15′ Groove -   d Wall thickness of the sheet metal blank -   D Wall thickness in the region of the head -   B Width of the bead 

1. An adjusting device for a vehicle seat, comprising: a first structure having at least one recess; a locking element which can be brought into interlocking engagement with the recess; and a bead that at least partially encircles the recess.
 2. The adjusting device of claim 1, wherein the bead surrounds the entire circumference of the recess.
 3. The adjusting device of claim 1, wherein the bead extends over both planar sides of the sheet metal structure.
 4. The adjusting device of claim 1, wherein the wall thickness in the region of the bead is 1.1 times to 1.5 times, the wall thickness of the region of the first structure which surrounds the bead.
 5. The adjusting device of claim 1, wherein the width of the bead is 0.25 times to 1.0 times, of the region of the sheet metal structure which surrounds the bead.
 6. The adjusting device of claim 4, wherein the recess has an essentially rectangular or oval contour.
 7. The adjusting device of claim 1, wherein the sheet metal structure has a linear sequence of recesses with an at least partially encircling bead.
 8. The adjusting device of claim 7, wherein each bead of a recess is separated from the bead of the adjacent recess by a region of reduced wall thickness, in particular the wall thickness of the sheet metal blank.
 9. The adjusting device of claim 7, wherein the sheet metal structure forms part of a seat rail, in particular a lower rail, for the linear adjustment of a vehicle seat.
 10. The adjusting of claim 1, wherein the wall thickness in the region of the bead is 1.3 times the wall thickness of the region of the sheet metal structure which surrounds the bead.
 11. The adjusting device of claim 1, wherein the width of the bead is 0.5 times of the region of the sheet metal structure which surrounds the bead.
 12. An adjusting device for a vehicle seat, comprising: a first structure having at least one recess; a locking element which can be brought into interlocking engagement with the recess; a bead that at least partially encircles the recess; wherein the wall thickness in the region of the bead is 1.1 times to 1.5 times the wall thickness of the region of the sheet metal structure which surrounds the bead; and wherein the sheet metal structure forms part of a seat rail, in particular a lower rail, for the linear adjustment of a vehicle seat.
 13. The adjusting device of claim 12, wherein the sheet metal structure has a linear sequence of recesses with an at least partially encircling bead.
 14. The adjusting device of claim 13, wherein each bead of a recess is separated from the bead of the adjacent recess by a region of reduced wall thickness, in particular the wall thickness of the sheet metal blank.
 15. An adjusting device for a vehicle seat, comprising: a sheet metal structure having at least one recess; a locking element which can be brought into interlocking engagement with the recess; a bead that at least partially encircles the recess; wherein the bead surrounds the entire circumference of the recess; wherein the wall thickness in the region of the bead is 1.1 times to 1.5 times the wall thickness of the region of the sheet metal structure which surrounds the bead; and wherein the sheet metal structure forms part of a seat rail, in particular a lower rail, for the linear adjustment of a vehicle seat.
 16. The adjusting device of claim 15, wherein the bead extends over both planar sides of the sheet metal structure; and wherein each bead of a recess is separated from the bead of the adjacent recess by a region of reduce wall thickness, in particular the wall thickness of the sheet metal blank. 